The Directorate

SHADOW

THESHADOWARMYTHESHADOWARMY is a large and predominantly terroristic organization. Though it claims to be global in scope, the vast majority of its operations take place in the western hemisphere. Its members are seldom identifiable as such as they wear no distinctive uniforms, and the dispersed cell structure of the organization prevents widespread identification of larger operations. Though they have been known to use various metahumans in their operations, such individuals are believed to be the results of the same experimentation which produced the Third Reich’s Einsatzgruppen Uberkommanden, and have so far demonstrated the same fanatical loyalty as other high ranking members of the organization.

THESHADOWARMY was originally founded in the immediate aftermath of World War II. It was funded by, organized by, and primarily consisted of the large number of high ranking Nazi military, Gestapo, and S.S. officers who managed to escape the fall of the Reich (replacing what, in the real world, was the less militant organization called ODESSA). During the first two decades of its operations, THESHADOWARMY concentrated on politically motivated crimes that centered on Nazi philosophy, such as targeting War Crimes Tribunal members and early leaders of the state of Israel. As time passed and more of the old guard succumbed to the rigors of age (and the heavy pursuit of UNTIL and the Mossad), a new generation came to power within its ranks. More and more, THESHADOWARMY turned to more profitable and less politically-based ventures, such as mercenary-brokering, smuggling, arms-sales, and terrorism for hire. Today, only the trappings of its Nazi founders remain; THESHADOWARMY no longer actively pursues the founding of a Fourth Reich, even in lip service. Its goals are profit-motivated and more aggressively short-term; they no longer need to rule the world, instead being quite happy simply to exert their influence from behind the scenes.

This in no way mitigates their threatening nature, however. THESHADOWARMY has firmly entrenched contacts and “friends” in high places in the United States and many European nations. This infrastructural support, combined with their tactics and methodology, makes them very, very dangerous. They have little patience for melodrama or grandstanding, instead concentrating on efficiency and a brutal productivity. Stand in their way and they won’t bother to threaten — they’ll simply kill you and move on with their plans.

THESHADOWARMY is very much aware that, even with the training, equipment, and numbers they have, that they cannot hope to stand against the actual armed might of any major national military force and therefore seldom allow themselves to be pressed into situations where they might face any more than a determined police presence. THESHADOWARMY learned several costly lessons in its early confrontations with UNTIL and The FDSI, and knows the value of carefully picking its battles. Losing a few cells or operations is preferable in the short-term to the level of damage UNTIL or The FDSI could cause in any open confrontation. Conversely, the authorities have learned that destroying individual cells or operations actually does very little lasting damage to the global presence that is THESHADOWARMY. The metaphor Deputy Director Emil Bryzinski of the FDSI is quoted as using is that he feels like the Norse Gods must have felt, working to keep contained a threat they knew that they could never actually destroy, and that they feared would ultimately devour them all.